MVRDV unveils a “three-dimensional city” skyscraper for Shenzhen | Inhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building
MVRDV is shaking up skyscraper design in its competition-winning proposal for Chinese real estate developer Vanke’s new headquarters building in Shenzhen. Envisioned as a “three-dimensional city,” the striking 250-meter-tall Vanke Headquarter Tower — dubbed the Vanke 3D City by MVRDV — will consist of eight mixed-use blocks stacked together in a sculptural arrangement optimized for views. Accessible green roofs top the staggered volumes to create a lush, park-like environment integrated with water collection and recycling systems.
The Vanke Headquarter Tower will comprise eight interlinked mixed-use volumes, beginning with a base of four blocks and culminating into a single crowning tower. With 167,000 square meters of floor space, the development will consist of leasable offices, retail space, a restaurant, a hotel and plenty of outdoor space. The design and placement of each block was inspired by the core values of Vanke: ‘health’, ‘energy’, ‘open’, ‘team’, ‘green’, ‘nature’, ‘future’ and ‘creative’. In addition to the pedestrian-friendly ground level, four blocks also feature indented facades — dubbed “windows to the world” — to create semi-public spaces lined with greenery for engaging the urban fabric.
“Vanke 3D City can be seen as a new type of skyscraper. By stacking the required programmatic entities, initially proposed for two separate plots, on top of each other, the two individual Vanke Group Headquarter buildings are turned into a Vanke City,” said Winy Maas, principal and co-founder of MVRDV. “They turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. By opening the buildings, a series of giant collective halls are created with a view over the bay and to the world. The plazas, gardens and halls are connected by a series of stairs and elevators, linking the many blocks into a continuous urban fabric high off the ground — a true three-dimensional city.”
The development’s multiple green roofs and gardens are designed for responsible stormwater management in keeping with Shenzhen’s “sponge city” program that aims to reduce the impact of the city on the environment. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2019.